Mine For Life

Today's song, "Mine For Life" by The Sounds:




I didn't know until now that this is a Swedish band.  My sister-in-law got me listening to these guys.  I tease her because I think that the lead singer kind of sounds like Miley Cyrus. 

What do you think? 

Sam's Town

Come, let us rock to The Killers on a Friday morning at 6am. 

 

This is the kind of song that somebody might see me rocking out to in my car all alone.  When I rock out all by myself in the car, I look awesome.  I don't look pathetic, nerdy and too white in any way at all.   





Many of you know my wife is a very talented Opera singer.  Every once in a while, I think about the kind of rock/pop songs she could sing with her classical voice and it would sound really awesome.  I think this is one she could do and it would be really powerful.  I know she is thinking about trying this sort of thing for a recital, maybe we'll add this one to the list.  Or maybe I can convince her to try it, and we'll post the video on the blog.  What do you all think of that idea?

AND JUST LIKE THAT MEGAN HAS ACCEPTED MY CHALLENGE!  For anyone who needs proof how cool my wife is, here it is:



Welcome To England

My brother introduced me to Tori Amos 20 years ago.  She had red hair and was one of the strangest singers I had ever seen.  My wife got me really listening to her music 7 years ago and I've been hooked ever since.  She still has red hair and is still one of the strangest singers I've ever seen. 

Today's song is called "Welcome to England" which she wrote as homage to the country where she relocated after marrying an Englishman.  Take a listen:


I've been to England once.  My ancestors are English so it was exciting to visit.  It is an interesting place.  It has lots of gift shops and overpriced restaurants.  There are thousands of tourists from all different countries.  There are lots of chairs with people sitting and waiting.  There are loads of tarmacs and runways. 

OK, so I've only had a layover at the London Heathrow airport and I have to admit it was an awful experience.  For some reason (I can't understand how) they lost my luggage during my layover.  Making matters worse, this was the spring of 2002, not long after 9/11 and while I was trying to sort out the luggage thing, I missed my flight.  They had this silly rule that you had to be seated in front of your gate 2 hours before the flight leaves or they (unapologetically) would not seat you on your flight.

Further adding drama, I had the worst cold I've ever had in my life.  When I finally got on a plane, I took some "Night Nurse" (England's equivalent to Ny-Quil) and slept the entire duration of a 10 hour flight from London to San Francisco.



A month passed and one day I came home from work to find my luggage sitting on the front porch.  I wondered where it had been for a month, probably to Djibouti and some other exotic places.  I was happy to see it, regardless.  After this experience, I don't know how anyone could be inspired to write a song about England.  And I understand even more now why my people escaped from that wretched island to come to America so many years ago.

Of course, this is a joke.  I'm sure England is a lovely place and I hope to really see it some day.  In the mean time, I'll enjoy crazy red-headed Tori Amos' song about it.  I hope you do too.

Que Horas Son?

Happy Monday morning everyone.  I couldn't remember the artist of today's song and had to do some research to jog my memory.

I haven't heard this song in nearly 10 years, and it's in Spanish.  Years ago, while talking to a coworker, he mentioned to me that he preferred to listen to music in Spanish.  I told him that I like to listen to a band called Ozomatli that sings in Spanish.  So we decided to swap CD's to share music with eachother.  I gave him Ozomatli's self-titled album, and he gave me this guy Manu Chao. 

I listened to the album, and liked it OK and promptly gave it back.  He told me that he would get the Ozomatli CD back to me, and he never did.  At the time it was frustrating, the disc was all I had, this was before iPods and iTunes, you know. 

So now all I have left is this silly song from that disc that has somehow remained in my brain after all these years.  And now you get to share in this dumb memory, and this semi-annoying song that was playing in my head today.

Souverian

Wow, this was a doooooooozey. 



The last time I made an effort to sing the song stuck in my head, it turned out to be the perfect song to sing with my kids.  I put too much trust in my subconscious this time, and it backfired a bit. 

Anyway, the song stuck in my head Friday morning was another by Andrew Bird (I'm finding some artists are coming to me in twos) called "Souverian."  I thought to myself "we're awesome, we can pull this off."  Unfortunately, this song isn't much fun for kids to sing.  I tried, but could only get good ol' Zoe to participate. 

My wife tried to convince me to do something else.  Unfortunately, one of my more unflattering traits is that I can be a bit compulsive about dumb things.  "I told people reading my blog that I would perform the song stuck in my head Friday morning, and by golly, I'm gonna sing it!  It doesn't matter if it's 'Stairway to Heaven' or the theme song to 'Thundercats.'  I'm anal, so I'm gonna do it anyway!" 

A few things, before you watch the video.  The original song is 7 minutes long.  I kind of chopped it up to make it shorter and easier to perform.  Also, we couldn't find the sheet music, so we're doing our best, although I'm sure the melody is off a few times.  If I had my way, we would have had guitar and violin to go with the piano.  Sadly, I can't always have what I want. 
So, here it is, enjoy?




And here is the real song by Andrew Bird.  I really think this is a beautiful song. 



I will work on being more selective about which song is more fitting when involving my kids. 

Thanks for caring.

John Wayne Gacy

You've watched Dateline, and 20/20 specials on people who've commited heinous crimes.  But have you ever heard anybody write a song about it? 

Sufjan Stevens is the man who is unafraid to tackle such subject matter with "John Wayne Gacy," today's song about the notorious serial killer. 

You'd think that this sounds like a terrible idea, and I agree.  But Sufjan Stevens executes this song perfectly.  It's a beautifully written song, both dark and sad.  Between the piano, acoustic guitar and his amazing vocals, Sufjan creates a mood worthy of what he's singing about. 

Below is the song.  I need to make a disclaimer to anyone reading.  This song is tastefully done, but doesn't sugar-coat what Gacy did.  For anyone sensitive to this kind of material, I would suggest maybe not watching.  Really, I love this song though, and I'm happy to be blogging about it, in spite of what the song is about.  If I were the MPAA of my own blog, I'd give the song a PG-13 rating. 




In less disturbing news, I'm happy to announce that 2000 people have visited my blog.  This is a milestone I've never completed in my life, and I put it up there with getting married, running a marathon, or being able to sit through any romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey without cringing. 

As promised, and by popular demand (2 people asked me to do it, one was my mom) I will perform whichever song is stuck in my head on Friday morning with my kids.  Let's just hope the song isn't about a serial killer.

Oh No

I find the process of putting these songs on a blog very scientific.  This is why I choose to blog so often.  I blog every other day, and I am 100% honest about the first song that comes to me when I wake up in the morning.  I know there are probably more interesting songs that I could talk about, but I find doing it this way fascinating. 

That being said, today's song, "Oh No" by Andrew Bird is both unique and interesting.  I own 3 of his albums.  Each song is clearly and unapolgetically Andrew Bird.  Not surprising, after researching this song, I learned that he writes traditional songs "backwards."  Most song writers have notebooks full of lyrics and poetry from which they form melodies, then adding chords complete the song.  I took a course on song writing in college and was taught to write this way as well. 

Andrew Bird instead has 100's of melodies going through his brain, and later fits lyrics into the melodies.  As you listen to his music, you'll find the lyrics are like nothing you've ever heard.  This song was inspired when unexpectedly he was stuck sitting behind a toddler on a plane. 



You can read about the process here:

http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/words-will-tell/

I'll sum up as well, since this is getting a little wordy as is.  The way the kid was crying started sounding like a moaning violin and then eventually evolved into a chord progression.  Also, he was crying "Oh No" again and again, which inspired Andrew Bird to write lyrics about being trapped in a calcium mine and Harmless Sociopaths walking arm in arm. 

This whole thing may be so odd to others, but I find it so fascinating, almost magical in a way.  Here is the song if you'd like to hear it:




So forgive my indulgence with this one, but I really love this music.  I don't know that this is the first song I would ever play for you to introduce you to Andrew Bird's music, but this was the one in my head so it's what you get. 

Also a big congratulations to each of the winners in our BIG IMPORTANT GENEROUS SONGSSTUCKINMYHEAD GIVEAWAY.  I bet anyone who didn't win or enter the contest is really jealous. 

Clara in Sandy UT won the CD.  You can't find such musical compilational brilliance in music stores, karaoke bars or at your mom's house. 

Kathryn in Dallas TX won the wax candy and beef jerkey.  Rich in protein and waxy deliciousness, Kat will be talking about this snack for years to come. 

Rochelle in Heber UT won the rare Cheers VHS tape.  Blah blah blah, you can find it on Netflix, is what the kids are telling me.  But pull out your VHS player and the duster and enjoy the nostalgia of the greatest sit-com about a bar ever made the way it should be enjoyed:  On an old out of date machine that you have to rewind and you get a bad picture out of, with tracking issues etc. 
Rock On. 

Brady

Situations

Good news!  It's not too late to win the great prizes that thesongsstuckinmyhead.blogspot.com,LLC is offering!  Today's the last day, and to be nice I will change the criteria of the rules.  If you reply to this blogpost today, or last Saturday's, you will be eligible for the 3 UNBELIEVABLE giveaways we're offering.


My incredibly gifted 4-year-old daughter would like to say something about these great offers:  my           diary                   lucy         wtehfhsbhdjagdttfushcxdfjcncdjdfhdnfjfedsneufkfjejikfjwjfejrrgorjrijfyhcfffvfff drehcgt4y87ertbfvhxhxshtyst

Also she would like to draw you a picture about the song she claims was stuck in her head this morning:  "Underground" by Ben Folds Five. 



And just to be anti-climactic, here is the song that was stuck in my head this morning:

Sunshine

I really have no explanation for what plays in my head in the mornings. 

This is a great song, "Sunshine" by Todd Snider.  He's telling the story of a man standing on a ledge threatening to jump while a crowd of people look on.  I love the way he paints this story through clever song and lyrics:



I wish I could publish the studio recording, since the sound isn't great on this live performance, but he still does a nice job.  Todd Snider is a diamond in the rough for anyone who appreciates lyrical folk/country music.   

Because I don't decide which song to blog about, I don't really get to decide what to blog about.  Since this song is about depression, I guess I can give my 2 cents on the matter. 

I've only been through one period of situational depression in my life.  It lasted about a year and I got through it thanks to amazing support and amazing medication.  I admit, it was awful and horrible feeling helpless and out of control.  I'm afraid that I will have to confront this sort of despair again in my life.  I'm dreading that day and crossing my fingers it never happens again. 

Generally I'm a really happy person, and I prefer to keep it light and funny.  I've tried to make this blog funny, but I feel like this is not a funny matter.  I know there are people that struggle with depression their whole life.  I believe with all my heart that they cannot help but feel the way they feel.  I don't know how they get by, many of them do not.  I think there are many people who don't understand this, and look down on those who suffer this way and think that the person can just get over it on their own. 

So, I hate to be preachy, but if I could say anything to anyone reading (thanks Mom!) it's that I hope everyone would try to have more sympathy for those who suffer with depression.  You wouldn't be critical of somone for having cancer.

What is a Guitar But a Box of Sound

I'm learning more and more that my subconscious really digs girl singers.  I'm not saying that I'm not a fan of girl singers, some of my favorite music has been produced by women.  I've just never noticed before writing about what plays in my head, that so much of it is by women. 



I'm just starting to get into her music, so it's hard to say much about her, but I know classifying Ani DiFranco into any type of sterotype would be belittling.   She's as hard-core as it comes.  She has the ability to lay it all out there lyrically, not holding back, giving you music that can be hard to listen to, then turning out some of the most beautiful melodies you've heard.  But isn't that what life is like?  Why should music always be pretty?  For me, it's refreshing that there is honesty in what she does as a musician. 

So, this is the song that was playing this morning.  There is something about the dissonance in the saxophones that sticks with me in this song.  It's both beautiful and haunting to me. 



I hate to digress, but I don't understand why, when I have so many AMAZING prizes available (see Saturday's post) and only 7 people have entered the contest.  Boy people, you are really missing out.

I'm also getting lots of requests to post more videos of my family singing.  I am happy to do it again.  Last time we did it is when I got 1000 visitors to my blog.  I will do it again once I've had 2000 visitors, which should happen soon enough, so if you care to see us sing again, keep checking the blog and sending people to it who you know like music... 

So to sum up:

Ani DiFranco rocks

My readers are ungrateful and unappreciative of the great prizes I'm offering

I will sing again with my family if we can get to 2000 visits to my blog

Coin Operated Boy

My wife was right.  Last night, after humming this song around the house, she predicted that it would be stuck in my head this morning:



I find this song 50% annoying and 95% awesome.  It gets stuck in your head really bad, so use caution before watching. 

Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls has done some pretty cool things, musically.  I really dig her solo album "Who Killed Amanda Palmer."  She also has an album of her just playing Ukulele songs, which is fun. 

One project she spearheaded was a band called 8in8.  She got together with author (and her husband) Neil Gaiman, Ben Folds and Damian Kulash of OK go.  They decided they were going to make an album of 8 songs in 8 hours.  They did it over the internet, getting suggestions for songs ideas from Twitter, and streaming the process of putting the songs together and recording them live on YouTube.   The end result was 6 songs in 12 hours.  You can buy the EP on her website for a dollar.  Surprisingly, the songs didn't turn out half-bad, and watching them get thrown together was fun.  I admire people with the talent to write music, and wish I had that gift. 

I JUST DECIDED I'M GOING TO HAVE A CONTEST!

If you comment on this blogpost, you could win one of 3 things:

-A CD of "The Best of the Songs Stuck In Brady's Head:  Volume 1" *


-A Bag of Teriyaki Beef Jerkey and those wax sticks with koolaid in the middle.  *



-A RARE VHS cassette featuring 3 of your favorite episodes from 1982's season of "Cheers."  A real treat for adoring fans worldwide.  *



Just place your comment below, tell me what you think about Oprah, The Spice Girls, Jersey Shore, or how dumb you think my blog is. 

I will randomly pick by number who wins these great prizes.  I will even ship them to the brave people in Russia, Germany and United Arab Emirates who are reading my blog too. 

The drawing will take place a week from today, April 14th.  No purchase necessary!

*Child Not Included






And I Love Her

I want to publicly declare that I LOVE MEGAN CASH!

Here is the song that was stuck in my head this morning to prove it:



My wife has given up more than most women have to give up by marrying a doofus like me.  Life is not easy for her, taking care of 4 little ones, and a colicky baby.  I hope she knows I love her.

Cats and Dogs

If you've been in a cave the last 3 years, you will not have heard of the band "The Head and the Heart."  If you've been living outside of a cave the last 3 years, you will probably not have heard of them either.  You will know this band only one of 3 ways:

1)  You are really really cool, and somehow happened upon them since their album was released a few years ago

2)  You happened to see the 16th episode of "How I Met Your Mother's" 7th season and heard one of their songs, liked it, and bought their album.

3)  You went to Boise recently to see your Uncle John, who has good taste in music, and he gave you a copy of the album.

In my case, it was the 3rd option.  I instatly fell in love with this music.  The song that was stuck in my head (Cats and Dogs) this morning is here:


What's sad about this band, is that it's not likely that you'll ever hear them on the radio and they are writing really pleasant and great music.  It makes me wonder how much great music there is out there that I'm missing.  Feel free to let me know of anything I should be listening to that is hard to find.                        

On the subject of Cats and Dogs, well cats at least, I'm somewhat embarrased to admit that as I kid I was mildly obsessed with cats.  While other kids were hanging posters up of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Racecars, and Michael Jordan, I was rockin it with posters of kittens and cats. 


I thought it was perfectly normal for a 10 year old boy to dream about cats, draw pictures of cats and dream about owning a large home one day full of cats. 

I'm proud to say that with years of shock therapy and watching Oprah, that I have overcome my obsession with kittens.  As an adult I only now own one cat, a mangy outdoor cat named Tigger.  Now if someone could just help me get over my obsession with really awesome obscure music like "The Head and the Heart" has to offer...